The Garden City campaign of the late 1960s saw the lining of all roads with trees. Initially to provide shade, the trees were subsequently used to attract birds back to the urban areas. Development of parks followed to provide recreation spaces for residents. This was followed by park connectors to provide green corridors for wildlife to move all around. These corridors were also connected to nature reserves. In due course we saw more and more wildlife all over the country. Singaporeans, previously not exposed to wildlife, were then finding out what it felt to be exposed to wildlife most of the time.
Myna and starlings roosting in trees grown in front of Housing & Development Board apartments were a major noise problem to residents in the early 2000s. These birds flew in during the late evenings by the hundreds to roost in the trees. As they settled down for the night, they created a ruckus as they fought for the best position along the branches. Early next morning the noise was repeated as the birds prepared to fly off to their feeding grounds. These birds also messed up the grounds below with their droppings. The late evening gatherings caused irritation to residents while the early morning noise interrupted residents’ sleep. Pruning the trees eventually discouraged these birds from roosting in these trees as they would then be exposed to the environment as well as to predators.
Besides mynas, Purple-backed Starlings (Sturnus sturninus) and Asian Glossy Starlings (Aplonis panayensis) also roosted in such trees. In November 2005 Dr. Wu Eu Heng and Dr. YC Wee were at Yishin Street 71 to experience the roosting of masses of Barn Swallows and Purple-backed Starling (Sturnus sturninus) on the branches of trees along the road HERE. Individual birds grouped at pre-roosting sites nearby before moving to the trees next to the buildings to roost communally. At around 6.30 pm the birds began to arrive. They could be seen flying from all around, to suddenly arrive amidst the flutter of wings and chirpings. They came in waves after waves, to land on the branches of the trees. Upon arrival there were much flying, chasing and vocalisation as individuals vied for choice roosting positions. By 7.00 pm they had all settled down and quiet returned. It was quite an experience to be there, bringing back memories of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 movie, The Birds.
Early next morning the birds would prepare to fly off to their foraging grounds. This would involve another bout of squabbling before they fly off just after sunrise. The noise they generated sent residents up the wall, not to mention the droppings that the birds left behind. During bad weather the birds would congregate along the corridors to add to the nuisance. Naturally there were numerous complaints and this resulted in the Town Council sending workers to trim the trees. This had limited effect on the roosting birds, but then there were other trees around for the birds to roost.
Individual birds can also be a nuisance. The territorial call by the male Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) can be heard in the early hours of the morning as well as throughout the day. Some people were irritated by these calls as they interrupted their early morning sleep. Others were more tolerable, considering these birds as providing their wake-up calls. There were a few residents who accepted these birds are part and parcel of the nature in our garden city.
The Large-tailed Nightjar (Caprimulgus macrurus) used to perch on top of lamp posts at night, waiting for insects attracted to the light. Its loud, monotonous “chionk” calls at regular intervals irritated many residents trying to sleep.
Feral pigeons (Columba livia), also known as Rock and Domestic Pigeons, are not native to Singapore. Its population has been increasing through the years because people keep on feeding them, although it is illegal to do so. These birds nest and roost in commercial buildings, causing a mess with their droppings as well as spreading diseases. The latest estimate of its population is approximately 190,000. Removing human food sources, habitat modification as well as population control that includes trapping and culling have kept its population to a manageable number. It is noted that the National Parks Board, using humane methods (see above), managed to keep the population under control.
House Crows (Corvus splendens) are scavengers and as such messed up our old-fashioned dustbins until new design bins that were crow-proof were introduced. However, they can be a nuisance to the public when their chicks are fledging. Their first flight of a chicks invariably lands on the ground. The adults would always be around and when an innocent pedestrian walks past the chick, an adult would zoom in to protect it. At the same time it will deliver a nasty peck on the pedestrian’s head HERE. The old-fashioned method of culling finally solved our crow problem.
Recently, a single Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus) visited my garden from the vacant land nearby. It caused no problem. However, where there is a large congregation in the urban areas, residents usually complain of noise pollution arising from their crowing. The largest congregation of these birds were found at Sin Min Avenue: Part 1 and Part 2. The numerous complaints on the noise as well as their presence on roads, trees, etc. led to these birds being “relocated” elsewhere.
Birds are also a nuisance in open-air eateries like hawker centres where Javan mynas (Acridotheres javanicus) especially fly in uninvited to join customers in their meals. The above hawker centre has now installed anti-bird netting to keep birds away.
These monitor lizards are large animals that can hurt people with a lash of their powerful tail. Many can be seen at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve sunning along the path along the mangrove edge. They are also plentiful in the mangrove. Outside of the reserve they forage along canals, eating mostly dead animals. A small Clouded Monitor (Varanus nebulosus) once visited my garden, entering from a neighbor’s garden via a small hole in the common wall. It did not do any damage and eventually left by the same opening.
The Straits Times of 19th March, 2023 – wild boars.
Once hunted to extinction, the population of wild boars (Sus scrofa) saw an increase around the 1990s. It is believed that many swam over to Singapore from Malaysia. Over in Singapore, their number increased as there are no natural predators and there was always an abundant of food due to the presence of old oil palms from abandoned plantations. These boars damage the ground soil and uproot plants. Contacts with people around scrubland, forest fringes and mangroves are getting common, some resulting in injuries to people. Culling has becomes an option in an effort to control the increasing population.
In the 1970s otters disappeared from Singapore, what with polluted waterways and lack of vegetation cover over many parts of the island. However, as the waterways got cleaned up and parks and gardens flourished, not to mention plentiful food in the form of koi fish kept by many residents, otters flourished. They can be seen all over Singapore, frolicking around from forest edge to parks connectors and even urban areas, crossing roads where traffic are light, to invade private homes where koi ponds are kept. A group of Smooth-coated Otters (Lutrogale perspicillata) even frolicked in a private swimming pool and got curious about the swimming goggles and foam float. The otters were not even afraid of the humans chatting by the side of the pool.
Usually found in and around forests, these macaques attract people who find it amusing to feed them. However, once used to easy access to food, they tend to snatch food from passersby. This is when they become a nuisance. Macaques also enter houses to steal food as well as cutlery, tablecloth, even plastic replicas of food. Worse still, they have been known to raid eateries such that monkey-proof nettings had to be erected in a number of eateries.
Now what do people demand when wildlife gets too close for comfort? Like being attacked by wild boars for example, or harassed by long-tailed macaques just because they were carrying food? Or even chased by otters as they suddenly appeared in front of you? The first thing the victims would want the authorities to do is to remove them – in other words have the offending animals culled. But is this the answer to these encounters? Now who is invading whose territory? If we are living close to a nature park for example, we may be too close to nature. But if the “offending” animals “infringe” into our territory, like otters moving around urban walkways, are the otters at fault? Even if they have pups with them and are in actual fact defending their young? There is an urgent need to educate people on how animals behave and to act accordingly to avoid conflicts. A good example is people feeding wild animals that in turn condition the animals to associate humans with their food source. In due course they may even lose their ability to forage for food. People should be more tolerable to the presence of animals around their living and working spaces. After all, animals have the same right to exist in this flourishing garden city as us humans.
YC Wee
17th August 2023
